Press/REviews

Nominated! Jeff Award for outstanding supporting actor in a play. Click below for more.

‘An Iliad’ INterview with The Tribune—CLick Here For MOre

'The INvisible Hand' Interview with Broadwayworld--Click Here for More 

'Pride and Prejudice'  A Madcap Austen, Alfresco-- the New York Times--Click Here for MOre

'Tug of War' BEST CLASSICAL PRODUCTION OF 2016--WALL STREET JOURNAL--Click Here for More

Reviews

Peter Pan and Wendy

Pan is a stark contrast to Captain Hook, who is adulthood incarnate, as much the representation of the upper-management, “chief executive” lifestyle Peter so despises as Wendy’s father Mr. Darling, making good use of the traditional dual-casting of those roles. (And John Tufts plays both to perfection.) The dynamic between Pan and Hook is enthralling, raising questions of what it means to have true freedom and to see our deepest fantasies realized—would we appreciate them, would we even recognize them laid out in front of us?

—KCStudio.org

Murder on the Orient Express

“The cast was equally exceptional, with each actor bringing their own energy and interpretation to their roles. John Tufts (Hercule Poirot) is particularly impressive, delivering a charismatic and charming performance that perfectly captures the character’s essence. Tufts’ Poirot is dripping with keen intellect and sophisticated joie de vivre as he pieces together the clues and reveals the killer’s identity.”

—Front Row Reviewers

“The cast was strong from engine to caboose, especially Tufts as Poirot. Tufts had the unenviable task of recreating a character beloved in literature and played by world-renowned performers, including the iconic David Suchet and (more recently) Kenneth Branagh. Yet, Tufts measured up well to the little Belgian’s legacy. Tufts carried the calm demeanor of Poirot while still commanding all around him when necessary. Most powerful of all was his final monologue when the play ends, as he reflects on what a miscarriage of justice looks like. While the play had a full head of steam through most of the production, Tufts took his time to let difficult questions simmer before the final curtain.”

—utahtheaterbloggers.com

An Iliad

“For 100 minutes Tufts, who for 14 years was with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, creates and projects multiple dueling personalities, including Agamemnon, Achilles, Patroclus, Hector and Paris. He shifts from character to character, exposing their vanities and personas through their individual musings and often bitter exchanges. It’s a virtuosic performance, with Tufts inhabiting more than a dozen characters.”

—Rogue Valley Times

Henry V

"For Henry V, Gaines has John Tufts, who turns in the most distinctive, most revealing, performance of the night, seeing the flaws of his man, while also creating the counterpoint of a guy mostly doing his best in life-and-death circumstances."--Chris Jones Chicago Tribune

"This Henry, played by John Tufts, is the best I have ever seen because he is the most inward. He delivers many of his lines as if musing to himself. In the night scene before the battle of Agincourt, where he enters in disguise, he becomes peevish at the criticism of the king and argues desperately, as if with himself. Then, when he is alone, he collapses in genuine anguish at the thought that he is still tainted by the sin of his usurping father. He prays that the sin be not visited on his innocent subjects. It is a harrowing experience for us because his anguish is so genuine."--Gary Willis NY Review of Books

"Tufts magnificently handles his character’s not-always-lineal progression as he loses faith in the righteousness of his cause, until his “Upon the king” speech is a string of desperate, confused self-justifications. The Saint Crispin’s Day speech is powerful and stirring in this version, but its impact comes from Henry’s determination to make something good come of the mess he’s helped create."--Tom Williams Chicago Critic

"Tufts’ Henry V projects truth with each gesture: his coming-of-age journey over the course of the play is raw and real."--Scotty Zacher Chicago Theater Beat

head over heels

"Continually funny, gleeful and silly" --The New York Times

"The opening night audience fell head over heels for it from the moment actor John Tufts sauntered across the stage and verbally seduced us in the guise of an Elizabethan punk Fool. Oh, we knew we were in good hands." KLCC